Throughout this specification the use of the word “inventor” in singular form may be taken as reference to one (singular) inventor or more than one (plural) inventor of the present invention.
It is to be appreciated that any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the present invention. Further, the discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realisation of the inventor and/or the identification of certain related art problems by the inventor. Moreover, any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention in terms of the inventor's knowledge and experience and, accordingly any such discussion should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms a part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia or elsewhere on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.
Sleep is a state of rest in which a person or animal recuperates. Whilst the purpose of sleep is the subject of ongoing research, it is understood to play a role in bodily functions such as wound healing, immune system regeneration, hormone regulation, and muscular and skeletal rebuilding, as well as mental functions such as memory processing. Accordingly, poor sleep leads to problems in these important areas of human biological function.
Poor sleep may be the result of intrinsic factors (that is, arising internally) or extrinsic factors such as environmental conditions. In recent times there has been increasing interest and research in sleep disorders and their intrinsic and extrinsic causes.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder recognisable by its impact on the sleeper's breathing during sleep. A pause in breathing during sleep, called an apnea, disturbs the sleeper and results in a poor quality of sleep. A common form of sleep apnea is OSA, caused by obstruction of the sleeper's airways by the soft tissue of the mouth and throat. People suffering OSA or other serious sleep problems often unconsciously try to find ways to get comfortable during sleep. During sleep there is little or no conscious control over the body, thus if sufficient care is not taken prior to sleeping to ensure sufficient body comfort then snoring and sleep apnea can become serious problems.
Existing forms of treatment of OSA include Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices, which act to hold the airways open, surgical techniques that remove and tighten tissue of the mouth and throat, and the use of various pillows that put the body on an incline.
Currently there are many pillows available in the global market for people with sleep apnea and snoring issues or problems. However these pillows may not work for all people as they typically only support the head and neck. This limitation in the design and construction arises due to the lack of a holistic approach to the body's need for posture and comfort. Posture is the manner in which we support our bodies when standing, sitting or lying down. When we are in a horizontal lying position if sufficient care is not taken to align the head, neck and spine, the airways may not be clear and problems such as sleep apnea and snoring may not be addressed.
Many prior art pillows attempt to improve the quality of sleep by trying to correctly position the head, or the head and neck in the supine position, or the foetal position. However, many prior art pillow designs do not go far enough technically to address sleep problems such as snoring or sleep apnea. In particular comfort and posture are not appropriately addressed, with the result that the throat muscles and the tongue relax during sleep. The tongue or uvula and soft tissues in the throat can fall back during sleep obstructing airways, causing the person to snore and/or temporally stop breathing.
Pillows of the prior art with soft filling such as, but not limited to, feathers or any other soft material may not work, because it is difficult to maintain a constant firmness or density, which is required for comfort and proper sleep. If such pillows only support the head and neck, they may also restrict the sleep positions, and may fail to address the problems of snoring and sleep apnea.
Pillows of the prior art that are contoured in a particular form or moulded in a certain way often have limited flexibility and do not allow free movement during sleep. They limit the positions the user may take resting and sleep, and this can cause discomfort. If such pillows only support the head and neck, they may not address the problems of snoring and sleep apnea.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,907 B1 to Zuberi, defines a method for averting sleep apnea in a subject. The method includes the use of a convex shaped pillow with two openings at the bottom that allow one arm of the user to slide through. The user's head rests on the pillow head above the arm. Snoring is a problem associated with sleep apnea and the pillow of Zuberi does not seem to address that problem. There is also a real likelihood of the user's arm developing a cramp in response to the weight of the head and the pillow resting on the arm. Furthermore, the user may have difficulty turning from side to side to release the weight on their arm and this could lead to loss of sleep as the user tries to adjust to a new position. Like almost all pillows, the pillow described in the Zuberi patent is shaped as a single unit and its design and function limit the ease with which a user may adjust the position of their body before and during sleep.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,227 B2 to Frisbee describes an anti-snoring device having two parts—a top pillow and a bottom pillow. The bottom pillow is provided with a cavity or a head recess. The two parts operate as a single unit that provides support for a user's head only. However, the device of Frisbee does not support the rest of the user's body, that is, it does not orient the user's body relative to the rest of the body in a manner that overcomes snoring problems. Again, the device is shaped as a single unit and its design and function limit the ease with which a user may adjust the position of their body before and during sleep.
US design No. D529,327 S to Martin describes an isotonic pillow. It may comprise memory foam, thus providing an evenly distributed tension pillow. The pillow does provide some assistance for the head and neck area during the initial phases of sleep. It is during prolonged sleep that movement of the body is most likely to occur. In a deeper sleep condition it is difficult for the head and neck to confine its self to set contour of this pillow. Again a holistic approach is needed taking into consideration the head, neck shoulders and the lower end of the body for proper sleep.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,915,539 and 6,574,809, both to Rathbaun describes yet another form of pillow. However it is directed to the treatment of the skin care and wrinkles and does not teach anything with respect to snoring or sleep apnoea.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,700,779 to Tolkowsky discloses a therapeutic pillow designed to relieve muscular tension and strain to help with sleep. FIG. 3 illustrates the effect of a user sleeping on their side and indicates pressure on the users shoulder and hence pressure on the neck. FIG. 5 depicts a person sleeping straight on their back with a contour to support the head. This is position may not help a person with snoring or sleep apnea problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,998 to Torbik discloses a pillow that provides cervical support for people with different neck sizes. The only difference between this and a normal pillow is that this pillow has a cut out portion or recess in the middle allowing the head to fall back slightly allowing the neck to rest on the neck rolls. Specifically, Torbik describes a square pillow with a recess which is intentionally off centre. This provides a broad resting section at one end of the pillow for the neck of people of heavy build. The opposite end has a much narrower neck section to suit people who are of light build. Accordingly, the pillow can accommodate people of different builds simply by turning it around. However the pillow lacks a holistic approach and is directed solely to head and neck support.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,177 to Ferris, discloses a dove shaped pillow having a pair of supporting limbs that bend outwardly. It also includes a pair of neck, chin and jaw support limbs extending outwards. An opening between the two pairs of limbs allows breathing. The majority of people typically sleep on their sides or back and a few people sleep on their stomach. The pillow of Ferris does very little for people who sleep on their sides, or who sleep on their back. U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,818 to Rudlick discloses in the figures, two individual pillows. The pillows are required to be placed slightly apart to accommodate a user sleeping face down in the prone position. It may be convenient for short duration of sleep. Furthermore, in this prone position snoring may not be a problem, however users generally turn from a prone sleeping position to a side or supine sleeping position. With respect to the latter two positions these pillows do not help with snoring related problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,195 to Holste, describes a pillow that can be used for support of the neck of a user. One of the reasons for using a pillow of this design which wraps around the user's neck, is to assist a person with a snoring problem. Typically this type of neck pillow is also used in conjunction with a separate pillow to support the user's head. This type of pillow provides minimal support for the neck but lacks a holistic approach to user posture and can tend to interfere with normal sleep. Typically this type of neck support is used by travellers to who must spend many hours in an upright seated position, such as on an aeroplane.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,179 to Pan describes an essentially semi-circular device typically made from polymer foam, having an elongate internal hollow. Within the hollow is a firm piece of material with a recess in the middle. When a user rests their head on the semi-circle, the foam compresses and the user's head sinks into the recess. The firm piece of material provides good support for the neck. However, again the pillow provides support only for one part of the body and lacks a holistic approach to body support.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,568 to Lee, Jr. describes a device that displaces water in order to provide a comfortable support for a user's head and neck. Again, this prior art supports only the head and neck and lacks a holistic approach to body support. When the user enters the deeper levels of sleep and moves, the pillow will not assist them to maintain a constant comfortable position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,702 to Sandler discloses an apparatus with a large contour section and an object in the middle of the pillow to prevent the back of the head directly resting on the middle of the pillow. As this design is rigid, limited in structure and function it can be difficult, during sleep or deep sleep for the user's body to conform to the requirements of this design.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,759 to Koops discloses an inflatable two part air pillow of wedge shape or having an inclined surface. One of the disadvantages of this design is that the user's body will need to adjust constantly during sleep, mostly because air pillows can become uncomfortable if the body sinks in too much or if it is too firm to allow the body to conform comfortably. Accordingly, the design and structure of the pillow has limited capacity to address problems such as snoring and sleep apnea.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,132 to Dixon discloses an anti-snoring pillow used to prevent or reduce the degree of blockage of a user's air passage and addresses the position of the head neck and shoulder. Like most pillows, this one only addresses the position of the head and neck to a small degree. The appropriate position of the shoulders, arms and lower body are not considered.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,310 to Greenawalt discloses a contour pillow designed to provide support to the user's neck. Contour pillows are formed in a specific, fixed shape and some shapes do not provide any more support than ordinary pillows. Specifically, once a user's head rests on a normal soft pillow, the weight of the head will automatically create a contour to cradle the head. The contour pillow of Greenawalt does provide some benefit for people who need help with snoring and sleep apnea problems, provided the contour suits their physique. However the pillow cannot be modified to the individual needs of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,203,983 to Reeves et.al, discloses a pillow, particularly an orthopedic pillow designed to support the neck in a neutral spinal position. The pillow is limited in so far as it provides orthopedic cervical support for a user while they are sleeping on the back or side, but does not provide support for other parts of the spine. Like almost all pillows it is shaped as a single unit and limited in design and function with respect to body adjustment before and during sleep.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,809 to Olson, discloses a large contoured pillow with a rounded headrest. At the bottom end or base end it shows two openings in a ‘V’ shape to accommodate a user's left or right arm while sleeping. The arm may to slide into the opening until the head engages the headrest. One of the limitations of the structure of this pillow is that it restricts movement of the arm and shoulder when the user is sleeping on either side. Furthermore, a significant amount of adjustment of the user's body position is required when they change sides, which could result in loss of sleep or disturbed sleep.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,415 to Hsieh discloses an inflatable combination pillow consisting of a water chamber and an air chamber. The complete pillow addresses just the cervical section of the user's spine and is typically intended for orthopaedic use. Although it is restricted in structure, it would be difficult to make even minor adjustments as this may involve increasing or reducing water and air pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,625 to Edelson discloses an adjustable personal support apparatus adapted to provide support to the user's body and head in both prone and supine positions. The benefits offered by the device flow from its generally angled shape to elevate the body. Edelson notes at column 2 lines 53 to 57 that the device may offer a benefit to users during sleep. Thus, the only contribution to mitigating closure of the user's airways during sleep is limited to the elevation of the user's upper body. In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a pillow that provides a sleeping posture that generally ensures that the airway of the user is clear and also provides comfort.